BBC Philharmonic Orchestra with RNCM Students

The RNCM Strings Festival opens in remarkable style as our students perform side-by-side with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, blending time-honoured classics and forward-looking works in an exhilarating shared musical journey. The concert is hosted by RNCM Head of School of Strings, Chris Hoyle.

Oliver Leith’s Pearly, goldy, woody, bloody, or Abundance bursts onto the stage with exuberance and flair, a decadent whirlwind of orchestral melodrama and cinematic colour. As Leith himself describes: ‘I pictured an orchestra wheeled out for a party on a lawn in front of the portico of a large house – playing this piece surrounded by burbling guests and fountains.’

Renowned cellist Li-Wei Qin brings Haydn’s Cello Concerto No 1 to vibrant life, his exceptional finesse and musical intuition shining through every phrase.

From the silver screen to the concert hall, Korngold’s Violin Concerto glows with the unmistakable sound of Hollywood. Whether the film themes inspired the concerto or vice versa is open to debate, but Ning Feng’s virtuosity ensures this once-overlooked work truly dazzles.

The evening concludes with Strauss’s Don Juan. Swashbuckling, fervent, and full of swagger, this landmark in symphonic storytelling transforms narrative into pure musical drama. Reflecting on his own connection with the piece, Chris Hoyle recalls: ‘I vividly remember performing Don Juan for the first time in Dresden, a city so closely associated with Strauss. The BBC Philharmonic knew it inside out, though as a young trialist on tour I found the concert performance quite a tense experience. The rehearsal lasted less than the piece itself!”

Programme
Oliver Leith Pearly, goldy, woody, bloody, or, Abundance
Joseph Haydn Cello Concerto No 1 in C major Hob VIIb:1
Erich Wolfgang Korngold Violin Concerto in D major Op 35
Richard Strauss Don Juan Op 20

Performers
Naomi Woo conductor
Ning Feng violin
Li-Wei Qin cello
BBC Philharmonic
RNCM Students